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Once again, I begin this post with my childhood story. I really love swimming. Every day I always spent about 30 minutes to take swim before I go to the office. I was remembering when I was a kid for the first time my daddy taught me to swim. At that time I felt very scared when my daddy carrying me to the pool. “Daddy..! I am scared!” shouted me. But with his gentle smile he said patiently, “My dear little princess, please do not fear. I am with you and will hold you tight. I will not let you drowned. Just trust me, ok. Everything will be fine.” My daddy’s eye gaze and loving smile finally make me trust him. Though I am still afraid but I trust that my daddy will keep me safe.

My dear readers, this is about fear. In human life fear is not become a new thing. Fear always be there in every side of our life. Starting from the fear of darkness and other forms of phobias such as heights, enclosed spaces, fear as haunted by the past, even fear facing the future. In the one side, fear could give the positive impact to remind us to not be careless and cautious in making decisions or doing something. But in the other side, if the level of our fear too excessive, it can turn off our spirit and brings us to other losses. Not only makes us cannot grow and evolve, but it can also bring other problems such as health problems, unstable emotion and so on. Even worse, for us a Christians, fears also potentially make us no longer able to hear God’s voice or feel His presence. As we talk with someone, the more we move away from that person, the more difficult we hear his voice. It will be going like that if fear allowed undermining our feelings and minds. Satan will use our fear as a powerful weapon to destroy us. Fear will be widen the distance between us and God and ironically we begin to think that God leaves us alone and even more we dare to accuse God is not loves us.

Now, I would like to take you to look at the one bible story. We take a look when Jesus was in the boat with His disciples in the storm. The Bible wrote that after Jesus was in the boat He slept in the stern. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake and makes the disciples panic and fear. (Matthew 8:24) Then the disciples went to woke Him and said, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matthew 8:25)What was Jesus’ reaction at that time? When Jesus woke up, he did not say, “Sorry I fall asleep” or “Sorry, I am careless” but please pay attention what Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:26) Then Jesus got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. What is the point of this story? The point is faith and trust! This event occurred after Jesus fed 5000 people. The disciples supposed do not need to be afraid because they already knew that Jesus be able to make a miracle. If Jesus can fed 5000 people by only 5 loaves and 2 fishes, He also can be able to overcome the storm. If only the disciples have a strong faith and fully trust to Jesus, they will not be shackled by fear.

The disciples’ attitude was also a picture of our attitudes in our lives. Our heart and mind more dominated and controlled by fear so our faith and trust to God getting waver. We forgot that we have God almighty who always be with us and can do anything to help us. At the time, the disciples should not have to be afraid because they are with Jesus the Lord that always preserves them. That’s why Jesus rebuked the disciples because they have so little faith and trust to Him. This is also a rebuke to all of us that we must have faith and trust which greater than our fear.

Let’s take a look to another story when the disciples saw Jesus walks on the water. They were frightened and thought Jesus was a ghost. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27) Then Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28)Jesus said, “Come” (Matthew 14:29). What happens next? Peter was successfully walked on the water. But, when the wind hit him, he was feared and begins to sink. What makes Peter failed to walk on water? Once again, beside he doubts, Peter was afraid! But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30) And for the umpteenth time Jesus rebuked, “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) Jesus’ rebuke is also addressed to us today. Fear can make us fail to achieve success. Even when the level of our fear is greater than our faith it can obstruct our progress and even our dreams. We could not move on and trapped in the grip of fear.

From the two stories above, there is a causal relationship between being afraid and trust. When we talk about trust, we talk about faith. The lack of trust and fait will cause fear in our life. Because of fear, there is no more joy, victory, and peace. My dear lovely friends, what about us now? How big the fear haunts our life? How deep we trust in God? Fear will never disappear from our lives. But if we believe and surrender our lives wholly into the God’s hand that created everything perfectly, why we should be afraid? If God is powerful than anything else promised to continue to accompany, encourage, help and hold us to achieve victory, why should we falter and allow ourselves to continue gripped by fear? I ask you to remember one of God’s promises,

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

If we ponder this verse wholeheartedly then we will realize a wonderful promise as an answer of what we face today. If I completely trust to my father who really loves me will keep me safe and not let me drown when taught me to swim, much less to Heavenly Father who created me. I strongly believe that our Heavenly Father really loves us and will keep us safe too in facing any problem and difficulties in life without fear. There is no father who would harm his beloved child. So it is with our Heavenly Father. When God said to us, “Come” We should to be confident and brave to walk and our eyes keep focus only to God. We should totally trust that He will always be with us, and even if during we walk our lives buffeted by the severe storm, He will not let us fall. As was written in Psalm,

The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. (Psalm 37:23-24)

My lovely friends, I don’t know what kind of fear you face now, but allow me to encourage you, immediately tried to get out and rid out from the shadows of fear. How? Continuously grow and strengthen our faith and trust in God. Keep walk with God and submit all of our worries to Him, wholly trust in His mightiness. Maintain our intimacy with Him through prayer and ponder God’s word day by day. Always embed “Fear not, for I am with you” in the deepest of our heart and mind, make it as our guidance. Always Living in God’s love and feel His perfect love in every step of our life, for there is no fear in love. Amen.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1John 4:18)

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,he enables me to tread on the heights. Habakkuk 3:19

When I read and contemplate this verse, my mind imagining a deer. Deer is not a strong animal. A deer is always prone to attacks of wild animals such as lions or tigers. Every time its life could be at risk because there is always the target of the jungle predators. But God gave the deer tapering legs are able to bring it to jump quickly. Deer’s legs even able to jump on hard and sharp rocks to get to the top of the hill, a place where the deer will be in a much safer situation. Deer is a weak animal, but the legs are able to set foot on rocky hill, past the obstacles until finally arriving at the high and save places.

I analogize a deer’s life with journey of our lives. Life in this world is not easy. Problem by problem could be making it harder to move forward, like sand, gravel and even sharp stones are tough to pass. We are weak creatures who are vulnerable to various threats. Roads are often winding and steep to through. If deer have legs that can take him jump across the stone by stone, stepped on steep streets, if we can do that as well? The Bible insists that God said we could.

The Bible verse above explicitly reminds us to always be aware that the source of our strength is in the Lord, and not to the strength, or the ability of our own greatness, nor lie at all facilities, property, or the things in the world. He could make our feet like deer which able to set foot, jumping with a beautiful gracefully on the sharp stony hills. God knows our problems. He knows what we face is not easy. But do not worry God cares to us. That is why He promised help which will make us like deer, an animal that is physically quite weak but has the ability to jump over the rough terrain until he could safely reach higher ground.

David said, “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.”(Psalm 18:33) Rely on the Lord will be able to make us have the ability to stand upright on the hill, where we will be safe overcome the problems that have been hindering us. Yes, only God who can make us like that. A high place describes a place where the problem can no longer be difficult for us. In Isaiah it is said that in a place like that house of the Lord will be able to stand up straight despite everything under unsteady in a storm. God will stand up straight, not stagger and fall easily when hit by storm. In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be establishedas the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:2-3)

The hard life, stormy problems continue to hit from all directions. All that can make us waver even destroyed sooner or later. Our limited ability will never be enough to overcome the constant attacks which come upon us. That is why we need to jump over all of that and continue to climb up to the top of the hill, where we will stand upright with God who enables us. God promises a help which will make us able to leap nimbly through the obstacles by obstacles to arrive at the top of the hill safely.

How we can continue to climb up to the top of the hill? David said, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105) God’s word! This is the key! We need to train our spiritual life continually. We must continue to grow and continue to increase, retracing up, continue to recognize God more closely. That is what will enable us to be able to rise to a higher place. The higher we are, the more difficult it is for problems to unsettle us. By always relying on the God’s word, with deepen the knowledge of God through the writings that inspired in the Bible we will be able to stay upright despite the situation around us were shaken by the storm. And we can say, “Though the fig tree does not budand there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will be joyful in God my Savior.”(Habakkuk 3:17-18)

My dear lovely readers, whether our lives are being hit by so many storms? Problem by problem hit us from every side? Our feet are too weak to jump on the hard and sharp stones? Hard to climb up to the higher safe place? Let’s ponder again the Bible verse above. “The Sovereign Lord is my strength” This phrase means do not rely on our own strength when we face the problem. Rely on ourselves or other things in this world sooner or later will make us give up.” he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” Do not forget that we have a God who so loves us and has promised us help. He is ready to give the deer leg that will enable us to traverse the rocky road, winding and steep until finally standing upright on top of the hill, where the problems are no longer able to bother us. Amen.